(Abdul–Rahman Oladimeji Bello, Headline USA) Leftist star Andrew Gillum, who ran against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2018, is on trial for 17 counts of fraud allegedly committed during his run for governor.
The former Tallahassee mayor’s charges include allegedly pocketing campaign funds, illegally receiving gifts including theater tickets to “Hamilton,” and lying to FBI agents, Fox News reported.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Milligan said Gillum still had hefty mortgage bills, had to pay his children’s private school tuition and was also making payments on two luxurious cars, when he resigned from his 6-figure job to focus on his political ambition. Milligan argued that Gillum used campaign funds to bankroll his lifestyle, which became hard for him to maintain.
“This case is not about politics,” Milligan argued. “This case is about deceiving donors (and) stealing from his own campaign.”
According to the reports from Fox News, Milligan argued during the trial on Tuesday that the alleged corruption started when the Democrat’s campaign team reached out to undercover FBI agent Mike Miller who posed as a developer exploring projects in Florida’s capital seeking campaign donations.
Miller then made several donations that Gillum’s team funneled through P&P Communications, a PR agency owned by one of Gillum’s supporters. However, Milligan alleged that Gillum used his brother Marcus to make illegal contributions and did not work for the agency.
Defense attorney Margot Moss claimed Gillum’s position at P & P Communications was legitimate and that his brother’s involvement does not make him guilty. He argued that Marcus’s solicitation on his brother’s behalf was only to show support for the campaign.
“Marcus says crazy things, Marcus says unbelievable things. But he is not Andrew Gillum,” the defense attorney said. “Marcus is all talk. That’s why they went to Marcus Gillum.”
Furthermore, Gillum allegedly lied to the FBI about a trip to New York where undercover FBI officials met him, his brother Marcus and lobbyist friend Adam Corey. Milligan said the secret agents lavished him with gifts during this trip. The gift included paid hotel rooms, theater tickets to Hamilton, meals and a boat tour around New York Harbor.
Gillum now faces 17 counts of wire fraud and a wire fraud conspiracy count. Each of these charges carries a maximum of 20 years behind bars. He also faces a charge of lying to the FBI, carrying a five-year maximum sentence.
